PC Curb

Nice LAN setup ‘In the Lan of Games’.

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Electronic Artists (EA) have announced that they will be releasing a sequal to the PC killing Crysis. But! will it be as demanding as the first game was? When Crysis was first released people were going out and spending thousands of dollars on computer parts in order to max our Crysis. I can remember when folks were saying, “Hey, i run 2 8800 GTS’s in Sli and i can play Crysis on high”. That setup is realy quite out dated now, and looks to be that they just wasted their cash on two crappy cards. This is a perfect example of how quick technology is moving, whats great today will be crappy in a few months, and the only way to keep up will be to update which means you are spending your hard earned dollars.

Now, by the time Crysis warhead will be released, it would have been about one year since the first game was realsed. This means one years worth of technological improvements, which should mean where in for a killer. A monster of a game with the best graphics we’ve ever seen on a PC game yet. If Crysis Warhead is to live up to its originality, i believe graphics wise we’re in for a treat. But, there’s that problem again .. will your PC be able to cope playing the game? If you are looking at buying a graphics card now, by the time Crysis Warhead is released it will be out dated. Even before the game is released, it’s causing problems for it’s fans. EA is even selling its own branded computers guaranteeing to perform well while playing the game. But i highly recommend you don’t purchase this PC, and by saying that .. do not buy any PC’s or parts from LightStorm Computers.

Will Crysis Warhead live up to its hype? maybe, maybe not. we will just have to wait this one out.

Let us all welcome the return of Awesome PC Setup Saturday! It has been awhile since the last one was posted but we are ready to present more of the best setups available so you can decide how to improve your system or just admire what others have created.

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Case: NZXT Alpha Black Steel ATX Mid Tower. Buy here.

Following up on one of PC Curb’s previous posts on top graphics cards, we have decided to make an updated version of the list including the new ATI 4000 series cards. We have reviewed the cards and added new cards that have popped up in the last couple of months and removed cards that have been discontinued. Here are the Top 8 Graphics cards that are currently on the market.

1. ATI 4870×2 2Gb Gddr5
2. Nvidia GTX280 1Gb Gddr3
3. ATI 4870 512Mb Gddr5
4. Nvidia GTX260 890Mb Gddr3
5. ATI 4850 512Mb Gddr5
6. 9800GTX+ 512Mb Gddr3
7. 9800GTX 512Mb Gddr3
8. 9800GT 512Mb Gddr3

This is a heplful video from Google’s youtube page that outlines the key features of Google Chrome Beta and demonstrates how to use them.

If you’ve been to Google’s homepage lately you would have heard of the new browser that they have released; Google Chrome. The beta version was released today (3rd sept). it will be interesting to see how much market share Google can grasp in compeition with Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Features:

• Blacklists for protection against phishing and malware.
• Sandboxing for malware protection.
• Plugins run in separate processes so if a website crashes it will only take down that tab and not the whole browser like in Firefox.
• Fast website loading time.
• A new tab page that makes regular browsing more efficient.

In case you haven’t heard of Google Streetview; it is an itiative setup by Google to give you the freedom to look at any house from closeup. It’s similar to Google Earth except the images are a lot clearer and of better quality. The quality improvement is because the images weren’t taken from a satellite, but a van similar to this:

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For a lot of people having a closeup photo of their house may be an invasion of privacy. Luckily it is very simple to get your house removed.

Step 1: Send an email to maps-legal@google.com stating you would like your house removed and provide your name and residential address. Some people say it is required to also attach a photo I.D. but it’s not always required.

Step 2: Within a few days you should receive an email with a link to your address on streetview, confirming it is your house/address. Just reply to this email saying that is correct.

Step 3: Wait another few days until you receive this:

According to our records, you recently submitted a report regarding an
inappropriate image in Street View on Google Maps. We’re currently
reviewing the material you reported to determine whether the image
should be removed from the product. We appreciate your assistance.
Sincerely,

The Google Maps Team

Step 4: If your request is approved, you will receive a final email and all images in streetview featuring your house will be blacked out completely.

 Hello,

Our records show that you recently flagged an image within Google
Maps Street View as inappropriate. The image has been removed from
our service.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and
appreciate your patience while we dealt with this.

Regards,
The Google Team

Ultramon is a great dual monitor program that I have been using lately with my dual monitors and although it’s features are simple, they are very handy. Some of the key features include a button up the top of the screen that lets you easily switch your current window from one screen to the other with one click instead of having to drag it. Another good feature is the option to have a different wallpaper on each screen, or stretch one image accross both screens. This is not possible with just Windows.

Ultramon also ads a taskbar onto the other screen if you are extending your windows desktop. This is a handy feature and lets you easily distinguish which programs are running on what screens.

Unfortunately Ultramon is only shareware. This means it is a free dual monitor program you can only use it for 30 days before you are asked to buy the program (or pirate it). This program is only for  dual monitor users so don’t waste your time if you are running a single.

Here is a full list of features:

• 2 additional title bar buttons for managing windows among the monitors
• A taskbar on each additional monitor that displays tasks on that monitor
• Pre-defined application window placement
• Display profiles for multiple pre-defined display settings
• Spannable wallpaper option
• Different wallpapers for different monitors
• Advanced multiple-monitor screensaver management
• Display mirroring (Forces to software rendering)
• Overcome Windows’ limit of 10 displays

Ultramon is shareware so you can download a free trial here. A single license will cost $39.95 if you want to buy a copy.